How to Change Photo Created Date and Time on macOS

When working with digital photos on macOS, you may find that the creation date and time of a photo need to be changed—perhaps to correct an incorrect timestamp or to better organize your files. Thankfully, macOS provides multiple ways to achieve this, from using built-in Terminal commands to more advanced tools like ExifTool. This guide will walk you through the best methods for modifying photo timestamps on macOS.

Method 1: Using Terminal (touch Command) to Change File Creation Date

If you simply need to update the file’s creation and modification date (but not its EXIF metadata), the built-in touch command is a quick and easy solution.

Steps:

1. Open Terminal (Command + Space, type “Terminal”, and press Enter).
2. Type the following command:touch -t YYYYMMDDHHMM /path/to/photo.jpg
   • Replace YYYYMMDDHHMM with the desired date and time.
   • Example: touch -t 202402101530 /Users/yourname/Desktop/photo.jpg (sets the date to Feb 10, 2024, at 3:30 PM).
   • Drag and drop the file into the Terminal to automatically insert the correct path.
3. Press Enter. The file’s modification and access date will be updated.

Limitation: This method does not modify the embedded EXIF metadata within the image file.

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Method 2: Using ExifTool to Change EXIF Metadata (Best Method)

To modify the actual photo metadata (such as “Date Taken” or “Date Created”), you will need a tool like ExifTool.

Steps:

1. Install ExifTool using Homebrew:brew install exiftool
2. Change the EXIF date and time:exiftool -AllDates="YYYY:MM:DD HH:MM:SS" /path/to/photo.jpg
   • Example:exiftool -AllDates="2024:02:10 15:30:00" /Users/yourname/Desktop/photo.jpg
3. To also sync the file creation date with the EXIF metadata:exiftool "-FileCreateDate<DateTimeOriginal" "-FileModifyDate<DateTimeOriginal" /path/to/photo.jpg
4. Verify the changes:exiftool /path/to/photo.jpg | grep Date
5. Remove backup files (ExifTool creates backups with _original suffix):rm /path/to/photo.jpg_original

Why Use ExifTool? Unlike touch, ExifTool modifies the actual metadata inside the photo file, ensuring that all programs recognize the updated timestamp.

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Method 3: Adjust Date & Time in macOS Photos App

If your photos are stored in the macOS Photos app, you can manually adjust the date and time.

Steps:

1. Open the Photos app.
2. Select the photo you want to edit.
3. Click Image > Adjust Date & Time from the menu bar.
4. Enter the new date and time, then click Adjust.

Best For: Users who manage photos within the Photos app and want a simple, GUI-based method.

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Which Method Should You Use?

• ✅ Use Terminal (touch) if you only need to change the file’s system-level creation date.
• ✅ Use ExifTool if you need to modify the actual metadata inside the photo.
• ✅ Use the Photos App if you manage your images within Apple Photos and want an easy GUI method.

By following these methods, you can easily change the created date and time of your photos on macOS, keeping them well-organized and accurately timestamped. Let me know in the comments if you have any questions!